Finding a way to win is never a bad thing, which was precisely what happened during the Chargers’ overtime victory over the Philadelphia Eagles last week. It might have been tough for viewers of “Monday Night Football” to watch, a mistake-filled game, but the Chargers were OK with it.
Style points?
None were awarded.
No big deal.
“It wasn’t perfect, but we did what we had to do to win,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said in the wake of their grittiest victory of the season.
The Chargers also recognized in the aftermath of their victory over the defending Super Bowl champions that they’ll have to be better in all areas when they face the Super Bowl runners-up on Sunday. They got past the Eagles, but the same method of operation might not work against the Kansas City Chiefs.
For starters, the Chargers’ protection of quarterback Justin Herbert and his fractured left hand must improve if they are to beat the Chiefs and sweep both games from their AFC West rivals. They must keep Chris Jones and the Chiefs’ defensive front away from Herbert if they want to improve to 10-4.
The Chargers also must limit the damage Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes inflicts on them if they hope to put an end to the Chiefs’ faint playoff hopes. They expect nothing less than desperation when they face a team that has made three straight Super Bowl appearances, winning twice.
Herbert blamed himself for the Chargers’ malfunctioning offense against the Eagles, when they relied on one touchdown pass, five field goals and four interceptions to subdue Philadelphia in OT. Greg Roman, the Chargers’ offensive coordinator, shouldered some of the blame, too.
Herbert was intercepted once and fumbled twice, losing one. He also passed for only 139 yards, completing 12 of 26 passes. He also was sacked seven times and escaped several other times in an attempt to make something happen in the face of almost unrelenting pressure.
“It was a really tough day for the offense, especially for me,” Herbert said. “I had some turnovers and missed a lot of throws and played uncharacteristically and had a bunch of plays that I’d love to have back. It’s unfortunate that we didn’t play to the expectations we have for ourselves.”
The Eagles’ pressure on Herbert played a big role in his lackluster statistics, an ongoing struggle with standout tackles Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater sidelined by season-ending injuries. Another tackle, Trey Pipkins III, is listed as doubtful to play Sunday because of an ankle injury.
Herbert said it was “on me” to audible when noticing the Eagles’ defense appeared poised to blitz him, calling for a different play to counter their rush, including having a running back, either Kimani Vidal or Omarion Hampton, remain in the backfield in order to help with the protection.
“Winning performance,” Roman said of the Chargers’ 22-19 victory over Philly.
Then, without missing a beat, Roman added, “Certainly there was a lot to clean up. I thought the first drive was pretty seamless, well done, all things considered. And then we just started shooting ourselves in the foot. Some penalties got us off schedule. We’ve got to do a better job when it does happen.
“I think there’s a lot to clean up, obviously. I wasn’t happy about how we handled some of the stuff, and that’s an angry game there. We’ve got to get that fixed quickly, Really, a lot of that stuff was technique. Overall, though, December football, coming from behind against a really good defense, it’s pretty good.”
In fact, the Chargers must be better than pretty good if they hope to beat the Chiefs, losers of two in a row and four of the past five and with their playoff hopes in the balance. The Chargers weren’t buying into the popular narrative this past week that the Chiefs’ dynasty was all but over.
Chargers outside linebacker Khalil Mack wasn’t buying it. He prepared for Chiefs Week like any other during Kansas City’s run of nine consecutive division titles and three Super Bowl championships in a six-season span. Overlooking the Chiefs, despite their 6-7 record, was unwise.
“Absolutely not, absolutely not, man,” Mack said of the possibility of overlooking the Chiefs. “They still have one of the best quarterbacks in the league. He does everything. He can will them to win, and so I know Sunday’s not going to be any different for him. We’ve got to do everything we can to stop them.”
Bottom line: the Chargers must be better this week than last week.
CHARGERS (9-4) at CHIEFS (6-7)
When: 10 a.m. PT Sunday
Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Mo.
TV/Radio: KCBS (Ch. 2)/640 AM, 94.3 FM (Spanish)